You have to ask yourself, is it better to be kidnapped and forced into prostitution and sex slavery, or is it better to die? And sometimes, “is there even a choice?” As far as Hamida Djandoubi was concerned, he was in charge, and it was best to just do what he said.
Hamida Djandoubi was born on September 22, 1949 in Tunis, Tunisia. Not much is known about his early life, but we do know that he moved to Marseille, France in 1968. He took on a job, working in a grocery store, and later moved on to work in agriculture.
Things were going well, until one day in 1971 when his right leg got caught in the tracks of a tractor. He was taken to the hospital, where he got the unfortunate news that he would be losing ⅔ of his leg.
For him, the hospital stay was made more tolerable when he met 21-year-old Élisabeth Bousquet. Enchanted with her, upon his release he began to follow her, and eventually conversed with her. However things were not as simple as they appeared. Djandoubi was not well, as was discovered in 1973, after Élisabeth went to police. She reported that he had tried to force her into prostitution.
Djandoubi was arrested and charged, but released from custody while he awaited trial. Instead of laying low and working on a defense, he befriended two other young girls. They were not like Élisabeth; they were forced into prostitution. However, he was still not done with Élisabeth.
On July 3, 19974, Djandoubi kidnapped Élisabeth Bousquet. He took her to his home, and there, with the other two girls as witnesses, he beat her. For him though, the beating wasn’t enough. He took a lit cigarette and stubbed it out all over her breasts and genital area.
Élisabeth was a fighter though, and the beating did not kill her. Unwilling to let her escape again, he put her into his car and drove to the outskirts of Marseille. There, he strangled her to death.
Djandoubi returned home, and warned the two girls to keep their mouths shut.
The body of Élisabeth Bousquet was discovered on July 7, 1974 in a shed. Investigators didn’t know where to look, until a month later, when Djandoubi kidnapped another girl. Like Élisabeth had initially done, she was able to escape, and went straight to the police.
Hamida Djandoubi was arrested and held in the Marseilles’ Baumettes jail. Nicknamed the “Pimp Killer,” he appeared in court in Aix-en-Provence on February 24, 1977 on charges of torture-murder, rape, and premeditated violence. His defense was centered around his state of mind. Djandoubi’s attorney claimed that the amputation of his leg drove him to a paroxysm, or sudden attack or violent expression of a particular emotion or activity. It drove him to alcohol abuse and violence.
He didn’t deny the allegations, in fact, he confessed. “l put the scarf around her neck and she didn’t struggle when I began to choke her. I choked her for a few minutes and then I asked for the flashlight so I could make sure she was really dead. At one point, for reasons I can’t really explain, I kicked the girl’s nose but she didn’t move.”
One can only assume he hoped that the jury would conclude that there had been “extenuating circumstances,” causing him to behave the way he had. However, all hopes were dashed when he was convicted and sentenced to death the very next day.
Though he filed an appeal against his sentence, it was rejected on June 9.
“Monsieur de Paris” or “‘The Man from Paris” was a dreaded phrase in French prisons, especially in the cells forming “Death Alley,” or what we in America call, “Death Row.” In France, prisoners weren’t told when their execution date would be. They were unaware until the day came, when they would hear the sound of a guard whispering “Monsieur de Paris est arrivee” or “The Man from Paris has arrived.”
On September 10, 1977, the paperwork for his execution was filed, which paroled Djandoubi into the custody of his executioner, Marcel Chevalier. According to French law, no convict could be guillotined, so he had to be freed, so that he could be killed.
At around 4:30 that morning, Hamida Djandoubi was roused from bed and told that it was time. The guards waited patiently while he put on his artificial leg. He was dressed in the traditional red sweater of the condemned, and was allowed to smoke a cigarette as he was escorted from his prison cell. When he complained that his handcuffs were too tight, the guards removed them.
He was led into a courtyard where he made his way to the guillotine. He smoked another cigarette, and was offered a drink of rum. Stalling, he asked for another cigarette, but was ultimately denied.
Djandoubi was thrown down roughly, laid face-down on “le bascule,” a sliding wooden board. His head was placed in the stock at the bottom of the frame. A basket, commonly dubbed the “family picnic basket,” sat just below. His sweater was cut and eased down around his arms to avoid jamming the blade, leaving his neck exposed.
When the executioner, Marcel Chevalier, released the blade, Hamida Djandoubi was decapitated. According to reports, a doctor present at the beheading testified that Djandoubi remained responsive for about 30 seconds.
The execution of Hamida Djandoubi was the last execution in France. The death penalty was hotly debated in France, with even President Valéry Giscard D’Estaing opposing it. Though he had the opportunity to grant a stay of execution, he was known to give in to public opinion, and allow the execution to take place.
Capital punishment was abolished in France in 1981.
Up Next: Robert Hansen: Hunting for Humans
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